Ad Infinitum
by RainbowKiss
Summary: [Without End]...It was, by far, the longest afternoon he had in his entire life...But He knew that Akira was worth the wait, he was always worth it. SenRuOneShot.


Disclaimer: Inoue Takehiko owns Slam Dunk.

* * *

**Ad Infinitum  
****(Without End)**

_Fate, time, occasion, chance, change?  
__To these, all things are subject but eternal love._

_-Percy Bysshe Shelley_

It was, by far, the longest afternoon I had in my entire life.

I smoothed my perfectly-ironed shirt and pretended to wipe an imaginary speck of dust from it. Then, surveying my surroundings, a thought crossed my mind that he must be hiding somewhere, observing me from a distance, preparing to surprise me after I finally let down my guard. And I do not want to be a tad less presentable when he set his eyes on me.

But much to my own wishful delusions, he wasn't here just yet, and so I had to wait a little more.

I let out a heavy sigh and in one moment, I pictured myself sleeping comfortably in my royal bed, letting the wee hours of this afternoon drift away lazily.

Then I remembered why I was here in the first place.

It was a bright afternoon, and I stood stiffly at our favorite spot, beneath the big maple tree, while enjoying the sunset like we used to do, years ago. Back then, I never find amusement on things other than basketball and sleeping, let alone be entertained by something as pathetic as the sunset.

Yet the ice in me melted and before I knew it, it was just too late.

He changed me. Not for the worse but for the better, as I came to know him deeper, and as I came to love him more and more.

I recalled my fondest memories of him, but my mind chose to linger into that day where I came to know him as someone I can hold on to for the rest of my life.

I was jogging by the sea early one morning when I caught sight of a familiar figure, sitting still and unmoving, with one hand under his chin and the other clasping a fishing rod. I observed for a little while until my curiosity got the better of me; I drew closer, carefully taking my steps so as not to startle him. But he must have felt my cold and biting presence somehow, because he suddenly turned his head to face me.

"Hey, Rukawa" I heard him say warmly. He was obviously surprised when he saw me there but was able to recover quickly. "It's definitely a great morning, isn't it?"

I chose to stay silent. I can only care less about this particular morning, anyway. Also, we just defeated Ryonan high school yesterday in a tight duel and I figured he said that to alleviate the disappointment he felt.

"You look tired," He commented again with the slightest note of concern then he rummaged through his duffel bag. He scooped out a bottle of water and offered it to me.

I didn't accept it with good grace because I was a little skeptical of his motives.

"You don't need to worry," he said, as if reading my thoughts. "It's safe." Then he smiled again.

I took the bottle hesitantly, realizing that I was dead thirsty and my bike was a mile away. I uncapped the lid and brought it to my lips. I wondered why he wasn't feeling down and weary today, and I could not decipher any trace of frustration in his eyes, not even in his actions. And he treats me like I'm one lost friend instead of a rival.

To my genuine ignorance, I asked him why.

"Of course, I'm disappointed," he explained calmly. "We did our very best but our 'very best' wasn't good enough, perhaps, not even close. But it doesn't hurt so much. I knew we failed better, we failed with class and with style."

I didn't know what compelled me to listen but there was something in the way he talked that kept my senses arrested for a while.

"If I let myself be deluded with misery, I'd be a failure for the rest of my life." Then, he faced me again with a renewed sense of optimism. "You can always find meaning in the smallest of things if you just open your eyes. And you can start now by sitting beside me while I'm…fishing."

When I chose to sit beside Sendoh Akira on that fateful morning, I never knew my life would change forever.

But sometimes, most especially in times you least expected it, love will ask of you the biggest of all sacrifices.

Our parting was just too painful and up to this day, I can't believe I endured four long years in College without him.

And as I hear the maple tree's faint whisper, I found the strength to stand there and wait for him, for his long-anticipated return, for his promise that kept me alive in all these years.

Sendoh Akira was my life; he was simply the air that I consume, the very soul that I had.

"Kaede,"

My heart raced at the sound of my name. In one swift motion, I turned my head and lifted my face to see who it was. Then I found myself melting again in his warm and radiant smile, the same smile I fell in love with, lifetimes ago.

"I'm sorry, Kaede, for making you wait. My ride kinda messed up," he put gently.

Sendoh was still the master of lateness. "You and your excuses," I muttered under my breath, but loud enough to be heard by its intended listener.

"What does Sendoh have to do to be worthy of Rukawa's forgiveness?" he asked me.

"Kiss me." I stated firmly and in a fraction of a second, I felt his lips tenderly caressing mine. But to my dismay, he pulled away shortly.

"How's that" The do'aho asked with a teasing gleam in his black-blue eyes. He knew I had fallen fast for his bait and that I would give in so easily.

"Bad," I said, wanting more of him.

With that, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me softly at first, then passionately, as if making up for all the years we've missed.

It was, by far, the longest afternoon I had in my entire life.

But Akira was worth the wait—he was always worth it.

Despite our deepest desires to stay forever like this, we both knew it was way too impossible; But again, only time can tell when our love story will end…

* * *

Author's Note: 

Thank you so much again for bearing my incompetence. This is slightly parallel to my other SenRu fic 'The Long Way Back' which was waiting to be completed. I just wrote this because I felt I've been too mean to Sendoh-kun so, uh here's the pay back...


End file.
